DeafHope’s Aracelia Aguilar at Bay Area Day of Mourning

Mar 3, 2015

[image: Aracelia Aguilar, DeafHope’s Empowerment Director, a Latina with dark hair pulled back in a ponytail wearing a black shirt and jeans, standing on a stage signing]

DeafHope was invited to the National Day of Mourning vigil to honor the disabled people murdered. Aracelia went and presented on the behalf of DeafHope about how Domestic/Sexual Violence Survivors also suffer abuse by hearing privilege by the abuser and from the system. The main problem is getting access to communication with agencies when reporting their experience. Police would ask a family member or the batterer to interpret for the Survivor. Abusers with hearing privilege gain power that way and manipulate survivors. Survivors often deal with the police, courts, hospitals, shelters fighting for access rather than focusing on healing themselves. Aracelia explained the concept of Community Accountability and how we have to protect our community by having healthy dialogues and go through an unlayering process and own our actions. We are approaching transformative justice which allows the perpetrator to have their space to own up to their abusive behavior and change for the better. We know that the system is not reliable when seeking justice so we invite all communities to join together to end violence and oppression amongst us.